This was my first experience of a large French resort but a good onePreviously been to Pas de La Casa which also has a massive ski area but is a bit cheaper.

We stayed in the Aiguille Rouge hotel and was happy enough with what we got for the money we paid.Just a generic 70's/80's ski resort hotel, like most of Arc 2000.The food was good and varied.The usual continental breakfast offerings and a nice selection of food available in the evenings.During happy hour in the hotel bar a pint was about €4, and there is a huge sun terrace.

The rooms were a good size for two people, we kept all our board bags and luggage on a spare bed.Not sure I'd want to sleep 3 to a room unless I was travelling without much kit.You could ski straight out of the hotel to the lifts and the ski school meet points can be easily seen.

There's a lift which runs down to 1950 (2 minute ride) so you can easily head down there for a spot of dinner if you want a nice meal out, just make sure you're in time for the last lift back up.It's probably a good idea to book somewhere ahead of time, a lot of the restaurants were packed.Arc 1950 is a much more traditional looking, ski through resort, although it's a modern addition.

In general drinks are a little pricer and the food is good but not that cheap. It's France after all and I'm comparing to tax free Andorra.On a budget there's a few places to eat in 2000 where you can get pizza, chips or a baguette at a price that won't make you cry.Over in La Plange, there's a similar set-up. Reasonably priced places to grab burger and chips, or full on restaurants for those with cash to spend.

Now for the really important stuff.

On our last day out there it dumped, a lot! (early Feb)

4 of our group got stuck over near Arc 1800 and had to get the bus back, the rest of us hid inside until after lunch and then headed out.Most lifts were still closed but St Jacques (one of the lower lifts) was still open and gave us a few lovely powdery blue runs. A perfect end to the week.Vallee de L'arc is another great run in poor weather; only a blue but sheltered from the elements. Beware the chairlift back up, especially if the weather is really cold as it's slow as hell!

There's a really good variety of stuff to ski, if you get the full Paradiski lift pass.Les Arcs 2000/1950/1800 have wide groomers of varying difficulties.There's some decent, if a bit easy, tree runs/off piste, from above 1600 heading down into the town centre. Not all that exciting but more of a challenge than groomers.

Our favourite run of the holiday was probably Aiguille Rouge (black/red, from the top of Aiguille Rouge) down into Villaroger.It's a real workout on the legs. Really long, technical in places and a giant field of icy ski moguls to test the best boarders and skiers, depending on the route you take.

If you do consider getting the full area lift pass then you would definitely benefit from staying further towards the Vanoise Express; we only made the trip across once due to the time needed to get there and back from Arc 2000.However if you make the effort you do get a good amount of time over there.Belle Plange and La Plagne have much more variety (easily found off piste, technical tree runs and groomers) but most of the pistes are blues.I guess you can't win them all.

All in all a good holiday, at a reasonable price, in a large resort with lots of options for all levels.

Strengths

Wide groomers in all of the Arc resorts for beginners

Awesome tight, technical tree runs from Belle Plange down to Les Coches (heading back for the Vanoise Express) right at the side of the piste.

Easy off piste, covered by trees and low down if the weather is bad. From the bottom of Vallee de L'arc (past the Esprit lift) catch Comborciere lift to the top and then head towards Arc 1600 off piste. We hired a guide for a day which made it very easy to find.

Hot Spots

Weirdly the bowling alley underneath one of the restaurants/hotels, was absolutely crazy the night we went in. There was a local dub-step/electro hip-hop night on and it felt like every French local had turned up for it. Seemed to be where most people went before heading to a club up near The Aiguille Rouge hotel, can't remember the name.

Weaknesses

Night-life later in the evenings wasn't always great.Some of the bars down from our hotel were only open for apres.

The higher pistes are very exposed during bad weather, most lifts were closed on our last day due to huge snowfall and high winds.

Relatively small, purpose built 70's resort with plenty of decent runs situated in the Paradaski area giving access to all of the other major resorts (1650, 1800, Vallandry, La Plagne etc) within 2/3 lifts. For the experienced and equipped the off piste looks amazing, for the rest of us I'd recommend La Plagne as a base since there's a lot more open stuff between runs.

Whilst the whole Paradiski area is pretty awesome, it is still catching up with the 3 Valleys in terms of quality and size of lifts, hence four rather than five stars.

Aprés is OK in a spit and sawdust kind of fashion. Whistlers Dreams is a good bar for beer and music, whilst those in groups that aren't desperately hoping to pull might find the fresh, open decor, reasonable drinks prices and lack of odour at the bowling alley more to their liking. It also has internet access, high quality pool tables and a big screen showing the usual snow movies. The fact that the actual resort is quite small means on the one hand there's a limited number of bars but on the other they're all pretty buzzing in the evenings

Stayed at the Chalet L'Arc with Ski World. For a chalet at the lower end of the budget scale it was clean, modern, tidy and the food was as good as could be expected given the price point. Lovely couple of lads running it, heating worked well, great views. Happily recommend.

Strengths

Big area with plenty of decent runs for every type of rider.

Hot Spots

Whistlers Dreams, Bowling Alley, Latino Loco nightclub (OK, Latino Loco is a dump, but you probably won't be in any fit state once you arrive to care either way. Sure as hell wouldn't want to eat there).

The 'Nature' black runs provide a safe opportunity to head off piste and play in and around trees without encountering too many moguls or avalanches.

There's a great restaurant in Villaroger selling local meals outside of the usual Savoyard colon-clogging fayre. Well worth a lunch stop.

Weaknesses

Not quite up there with either the 3 Valleys or L'Espace Killy in terms of lift quality or grooming. Some quite long flats in places heading back to resort.

Boarding is fantastic!
Spent most of the week off piste in powder. Lots of runs and they go on for miles. You can link runs from the top of Arcs 2000 over into the next valley and down to Vallanry without stopping and you can dive off into the powder and through the trees almost all the way.
Lots of runs marked through the trees - look out for coloured tape on the branches. Be careful though - go the wrong way and it can get treacherous!
Our favourites were the runs down to Villaroger - quite stunning!
Only thing missing was a decent boardpark - we only really found one area of kickers & rails - no half pipe and the boardercross course was basically a slalom! Didn't really miss it though.
Nightlife can be good if you know where to go. Crazy fox is good when there's a band on and the Salsa bar can kick off big-time. Things often only liven up after 12.
Much more lively over at Arc 1800 but you get stuck! Transport stops at 6pm and taxis are stupidly expensive. Ask around though and you might get a lift or a floor (big thanks to the guys at Benji's Bar & Vicky for a lift!)
Hit the free wine in the hotels if you can - I was charged 12 Euros for a shot of whiskey!
...and I've never seen so many attractive girls on boards!

Strengths

Wide variety of runs.
Spectacular views.
Lots of board babes!

Weaknesses

Expensive drinks.
Quieter than other resorts at Les Arcs.
Transport between resorts stops early evening.

First of all, we only paid £143 each because my wife works in travel and we only had to pay for our flights and transfer from Geneva. We stayed in the Club Med Extreme Freestyle hotel which is all inclusive, yes, that's right, free drinks all day long and all meals and snacks included! So, the slopes have to be really good to tear you away from the bar!!! Thankfully they are, and we had the Paradiski lift pass (included in the price) which gives you practically free reign of the whole mountain(s). This was my second time to Arc 2000 and they have added quite a few new lifts and even some pistes since I was here 2 years ago. The terrain is well balanced and can suit any level of rider and there is plenty of easily found off-piste areas. The actual ski-area around Arc 2000 is fairly small, but Arc 1800 which is larger, is easily reached by either the new lift, Bois de l'Ours or the rather lengthy, Plagnettes, and then riding down the other side of the mountain. It's even easier to get back via the Transarc gondola. You can even reach La Plagne by taking the brand new double decker Vanoise Express cable car from Peisey-Vallandry.

Even with the new lifts and pistes there is still a bit of a problem with getting back to the main "Plaza" area of Arc 2000. We found that wherever we'd been, at the end of the day, we had to get to the top of the Marmottes lift so that we had the best chance of getting home without stopping on the flat runs back to the resort. They need a steeper run back for the boarders.

2 years ago, the conditions were pretty poor due to hardly any snow, but we still managed to have a good time! This year there was enough snow to drown in and we had the best time ever!

The actual resort is quite small, with a handful of shops and a few restaurants and bars. The very new Arc 1950 is about halfway to being finished, which adds some shops and stuff.

A week is nowhere near long enough to see every bit of the mountains in Les Arcs, so repeat visits are never boring.

Strengths

Lots of variety.
New lifts are very fast and comfy.
Easy access to other parts of Les Arcs (1600 and 1800).
Club Med all inclusive deal (£749 gets you - flights, transfer, accomodation with food and drinks included, 6 day Paradiski lift pass, all day ESF lessons from beginner to off-piste and freestyle, and insurance).

Weaknesses

Old lifts are very, very slow!
Only one way back to the resort!
Temptation to stay in the bar all day!

I have been to Les Arcs many times and on each occasion the snowboarding is fantastic.
Its great for beginners, intermediates and advanced. What I would say is best about the resort is the variety of terrain, you can be speeding down wide open reds in the morning, cutting tight lines through woods at midday, and Freeriding through great powder in the nature reserve (ahhem!) or below Les Deux Tetes in the afternoon.

- The Nature reserve is meant to be out of bounds, but I've not been stopped (even though a mate got airlifted from a canyon a few years back!). Gain access to this by going to top of Grand Col chair lift (hidden away besides Aigulle Rouge), hike to top of ridge and have a brief rest in the hiking hut. Board down into the valley through the best ever terrain, keeping to the leftside of the valley as you bend round and down towards Villaroger, approx 8km.
- Another good freeride, is to Head for Les Deux Tetes on the piste map. Now head down below the rocks towards 1600, taking in some great natural hits and wooded section.

I learnt in Les Arcs and have come back 4 times since, it never ceases to excite me. My buddie likes it so much he has bought a place in Les Arcs1950!
If you want a cheap hol, you can always stay in Camping Les Versoyen - Bourg St. Maurice, at the bottom of Les Arcs. The site is run by some good friends of mine and they provide warm and omfortable 4-8 berth mobile homes + cheaper lift passes.

The only prob is, you get the French "queuing" system...say no more....

Strengths

Terrain
Suites all levels
Can spend a day in other close by resorts on skii pass

Weaknesses

French

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